 Russell Smith of Fort Morgan, Colo., transfers from horse to steer in hopes (vain, as it turned out) of earning prize money in the steer wrestling event during the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo. The photo was shot during "slack" competition the morning of July 13 (explaining the Event Center's empty seats). Westside Pioneer photo
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Bill Miller, the center's manager, said the official tallies won't be in for another week, but crowds for the region's biggest rodeo event have risen to higher levels “the last 7 to 10 years” and “guesstimates” are that attendance numbers rose to that range again this year.
Overall a large part of the audience seemed to on the young side. This was deduced in a time-honored manner: The rodeo announcer asked people to holler out if they were under 30, and a strong response came back, Miller reported.
Featuring five men's events and barrel racing for the women, the 71st annual rodeo was again part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) tour.
The total payoff to competitors who won or placed in events was $215,294, according to the PRCA website, prorodeo.com.
Rodeo season, which has included the Ride for the Brand working cowboys event as well as Pikes Peak or Bust this month at Norris-Penrose, is not completely over. Miller pointed out that the Colorado Champion-ships of the U.S. Team Roping Championships (USTRC), will be Friday to Sunday, July 22-24 at the center, 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road.
The event is free and open to the public, starting at 9 a.m. each day.
Westside Pioneer article